Top lift



Oct. 9, 1962 c. s. GUDERMUTH TOP LIFT Filed July 13, 1960 W w .im

United@ States Fatent 3,057,087 TGP MFT Clyde S. Gndermnth, Webster Groves, Mo., assigner to Missouri Wood Heel Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Filed .italy 13, 1966, Ser. No. 42,587 4 Claims. (Ci. lio-34) The present invention relates to shoe heels, specically to shoe heels for womens shoes, and particularly to a top lift construction for such a shoe heel.

Recent developments in the shoe heel art have produced various designs of fashionable heels, which have included those generally referred to as spike heels or heels of the French type design. Because of the extremely small cross-section of these heels, there have been invented various means for reinforcing the heel. The present invention employs a partially threaded or knurled shank having one end to which the top lift is attached. However, it has been found that, while the a-ttachment of top lifts to the end of such a shank has been satisfactory for those top lifts formed of relatively hard material, these attachments have been less satisfactory for top lifts of soft material, such as Adiprene (a trade name of Du Pont), polyurethane rubber, and the like.

.Since the bottom surface of the shoe heel, of the spike heel type here involved, is of small surface area, the top lift must likewise have a small surface area. This small surface area reduces the over-all mass of the top lift which, in turn, reduces the area which holds the top lift to the shank.

In the present invention, the shank has a head on it. However, this head must be small because of the size of the top lift. For those top lifts which are constructed of a soft material, such as relatively flexible plastic or rubber, the head of the shank may be too small to retain the top lift as it might flex and slip off the head. It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a means for locking the top lift to the reinforcing shank in a- Womans shoe heel. A particular object that is represented in one of the two embodiments of the invention is to provide a locking means which makes full use of the reinforcing shank and its cooperation with the heel to positively hold the top lift onto the head of the shank.

Another particular object, represented by the other embodiment of the invention, is to provide a locking means for a top lift comprising a double headed pin with a space between the two heads within which the top lift material flows as it is molded and bonded to the pin. The space or groove between the two heads cooperates with the part of the top lift projecting into the groove to lock the top lift to the pin.

Another object of the invention is to provide a means for locking a top lift to a reinforcing shank which is an integral part of the top lift so that separation of the locking means from the top lift is avoided.

Another object of the invention is to provide a top lift and pin construction including means for locking the top lift to the pin, in which the top lift includes a part for becoming wedged within a groove to prevent its flexing away from the heel of the pin. 'In one embodiment of the invention, the top lift is wedged between the pin and the interior of the shoe heel. In another the top lift is wedged within a groove between two heads of the pin, with a part being wedged between the head of the pin and the bottom of the shoe heel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a top lift molded onto a pin that can be driven into a shoe heel but incorporating means for preventing deformation of the top lift regardless ofthe driving force against the bottom of the top lift. This object will be better appre- Ese ciated if it is considered that conventional top lifts include material that spaces the pin head from the bottom of the heel so that, as the pin is driven into the heel, the top lift material can be flattened between the pin head and the bottom of the heel. The dual head arrangement of the present invention assures that one of the heads, rather than the top lift material, will abut against the bottom of the heel.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a top lift and pin combination for a shoe heel having means for positively limiting the inward movement of the pin within the heel so that if undue pressure is exerted upon the top lift it cannot drive the pin further into the heel.

Y et another object of the invention is to provide a pin and top lift combination wherein the pin has a lower head on it about which the top lift is molded, and there is a second head above and spaced from the rst head so that high pressures on the bottom of the top lift do not affect the top lift material that projects between the two heads. Thus, since the top lift part between the two heads locks the top lift onto the pin, that locking part cannot be flexed away by pressures applied to the top lift.

Another object is to provide a top lift and pin arrangement that can be removed fromV a heel by the use of a conventional puller knife without getting the puller knife so close to the bottom of the heel as to risk scraping damage to the heel.

Other objects and advantages will appear.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l is a front to rear sectional view of the shoe heel assembly;

FIGURE 2 is a partial enlarged view in section of the lower portion of the shoe heel assembly as shown in FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is a view in section taken along the lines 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a view in section taken along the lines 4 4 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a partial enlarged view in section similar to that of FIGURE 2, but with parts broken away;

FIGURE 6 is a front to rear sectional view of another embodiment of the invention; and

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged sectional view showing only the lower part of the heel of FIGURE 6.

Referring now to the drawing, and to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGURES 1-5, there is illustrated a shoe heel 16. It can be seen from FIGURE 1 that the heel 10 converges towards its lower end 11 so that a considerable portion of the heel has a small cross` sectional area. Such heel shapes are conventional and widely used. The heel 10 has a bore 12 extending through it from the heel seat 13 to the bottom surface 14 of the lower end 11.

A reinforcing shank 15 is formed to t tightly Within the bore 12. The shank `15 has a leading end 16 which is somewhat tapered from the maximum diameter of the shank. Adjacent the tapered end 16 is a section 17 having transverse threads or knurls in which the major diameter of the threads or knurls is slightly greater than the internal diameter of the bore 12. Ordinarily, the pin is driven into the bore after which the threaded or knurled section 17 provides sufficient friction to hold the pin in place.

Adjacent the threads 17, there is a portion 18 of the shank 15 which is of a diameter substantially equal to the minor diameter of the threads. The remaining length 19 of the shank 15 has a diameter approximately equal to the major diameter of the threads or knurls 17.

As shown in FIGURE 2, the bottom end 20 of the shank 15 terminates in an enlarged head 21, and between the head 21 and the part 19 ofthe pin 15, is a short length 22 of reduced diameter. That is to say, the diameter of the length Z2 is somewhat less than that of the length 19. The head 21 has a kerf 23 cut into it, which is similar to that in a well-known screw head. The kerf 23 helps define an irregular surface on the head 21 to eliminate lateral slippage of the top lift 24 which is molded onto the head.

The top lift 24 may be rformed of any well-known rub-ber or plastic material or mixture. Although the present construction is well suited to top lifts of hard materials, it is particularly intended for use with top lifts constructed of a soft material such as Adiprene or polyurethane rubber.

The top lift is applied to the head 21 of the shank 15 by direct molding. Howe-ver, in addition to the body portion 25 of the top lift, the mold for forming the embodiment of FIGURES l5 is designed to form a sleeve 26 integral with the body 25 which extends around the cylindrical reduced length o-f the shank 15. The sleeve portion 26 is cylindrical in form, although integral with the body 25, as before stated, and the external diameter of the sleeve Z6 is substantially equal to the external diameter of the length 19, so that the sleeve 26 and the length 19 of the shank 15 cooperate to define a continuous cylindrical surface which 4is to be wedged within the bore 12 ofthe heel 10.

The shank is driven into the bore 12 until the body portion 25 of the top lift becomes seated against the lower surface 14 of the heel 10. In this condition the sleeve 26 is wedged between the reduced length 22 and the inner surface of the bore 12 opposite that reduced length. Thus, forces which would tend to iiex the body portion 25 so that it would slip oi the head 21 of the shank 15 are thwarted because the sleeve 26, which is integral with the body 25, remains tightly wedged between the shank and the heel. The tight wedging arrangement of the length 19 within the bore 12 holds the shank 15 locked within the bore 12 and, therefore, maintains the sleeve 26 in its locked position. In addition, forces which would tend to flex the body 25 away from the head 21 will, at the same time, tend to force the sleeve 26 further within the space between the length 22 and the bore 12. Any possible forces which would tend to pull the sleeve 26 out of its wedged p-osition are opposed by the head 21 of the shank 15.

A second, and preferred, embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGURES 6 and 7. In this embodiment, there is illustrated a heel 50 that is similar to the heel 111. A pin 51 extends through a bore 52 from the bottom 53 of the heel to the heel seat 54.

The pin 51 has longitudinal grooves 55 formed near its upper end, near the free end of a shank 56, and the grooves 55 serve to wedge the pin 51 within the bore 52 and hold it within that bore and to prevent rotation of the pin and top lift.

The pin 51 is wedge-d within the heel at both the knurled or grooved part 55 and the shank part 56. This is true even though the diameter of the shank 56 is about equal to the major diameter of the knurls 55 and the wedging is particularly accomplished because th@ bore 52 is formed with a specially made stepped bit of double size. By use of the stepped bit, the bore 52 is o-f larger diameter near the base 53 and smaller adjacent the knurls 55. Yet both these diameters are smaller than the diameter of the shank 56 and the major diameter of the knurls 55. Therefore, the knurls can be fairly easily driven past the part of the bore that has a larger diameter, but bites rather tightly into `the plastic about the smaller diameter of the bore 52. At the same time, the shank 56 becomes wedged tightly Within the part of the bore 52 that has a larger diameter.

Representative sizes in this combination are No. 28 drill (.1406) size for the larger diameter part of the bore and No. 29 drill (.136) for the smaller diameter par-t of d the bore. The diameter of the pin, including the major diameter of the knurls 55 is (.143) with a tolerance of *K10-3, -l-.OOOr

As can -be seen in FIGURE 7, the pin 51 has two heads 58 and 59 on it. The heads 58 and 59 are spaced apart, providing a groove 60 between them. In addition, the head 59 is tapered toward its outer periphery so that a thin space 61 is provided between the head 58 and the bottom 53 of the heel 50.

The top lift 62 is molded on to the pin 51 so that it covers lboth the head 58 and the head 59, and during the molding process, a part of the top lift material flows into the groove or space 60. Preferably, the molding process is performed after a suitable bonding agent has been wiped onto the heads 58 and 59 of the pin.

After the top lift 62 has been molded onto the pin 51, there is a portion 63 that extends within the groove 60 between the pin heads 58 and 59. There is another smaller portion 64 that extends within the small space between the head 58 and the bottom 53 of the heel 50. It is principally the part between the heads 5S and 59 and the groove 60 that provides the binding and locking of the top lift onto the pin 51.

It can now be appreciated 4that the embodiment of FIGURES 6 and 7 provides a wedging of the tip lift material similar to that of the first described embodiment wherein the purpose of both embodiments is to provide a groove within which the top lift material is wedged to lock the top lift against exing off of the end of the pin.

The embodiment of FIGURES 6 and 7 also adds additional advantages. As with the first described embodiment, the pin 51 is driven into the heel 50 by applying pressure to the bottom of the top lift. One of the advantages of the top lift arrangement of FIGURES 6 and 7 is that regardless of the driving force again the bottom of the top lift, the pin cannot be driven so vfar into the heel that the top lift material is flattened and distorted to give away and slip off the head of the pin. rllhis disadvantage in the conventional arrangements are eliminated because the upper head 58 abuts the bottom 53 of the heel 50 and limits the movement of the pin 51 into the heel 50. Thus, with the pin head 58 taking the stress of the driving `force of the pin into the heel, and for that matter, the pressure of walking forces, the material of which the top lift 62 is made will not become distorted with such forces and pull away from the pin.

Another advantage of the double headed pin arrangement is that a greater bonding surface between the pin and the top lift is provided. Usually there will be a bonding agent between the pin and the top lift. Obviously, with a -greater contact sur-face, there will be greater bonding strength.

If the top lift must be removed from the heel for one reason or another, it can be removed with a conventional puller knife. In conventional heels, these puller knives must be positioned to grasp the top lift between the pin head and the bottom of the heel. Thus, there is the danger of scraping the heel with the puller knife. With the top lift arrangement of FIGURES 6 and 7, the puller knife `can be clamped between the heads 58 and 59, spaced `from the bottom 53 of the heel 50, so that the danger of scraping the heel is removed.

Various changes and modifications may be made within the process of this invention as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are within the scope and teaching of this invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What isclaimed is:

1. A heel and top lift combination comprising a heel having a top lift receiving bottom Wall, a recess in the heel for receiving the shank of a pin, said pin having a shank for insertion within the recess with an end of the shank located outside the recess and below the bottom wall, head means adjacent the aforesaid end of the shank and projecting laterally beyond the surf-ace of the shank,

lateral projection means beyond the surface of the shank, said lateral projection means being spaced from the head means, the head means and the lateral projection means having opposed substantially planar surfaces for receiving portions of a top lift, and a top lift formed in situ on the pin, the top lift extending from the top lift receiving bottom wall, and filling the space between the head means and said lateral projection means.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein there is a space between the lateral projection means and the top lift receiving Ibottom wall and part of the top lift is received within that space.

3. A pin and top lift combination, the pin having a shank for insertion into a shoe heel, a head on an end of the shank, a second head projecting laterally from the shank and spaced from the first head, the two heads having opposed substantially planar surfaces for receiving portions of a top lift, the space between the heads having a depth substantially equal to the diierence between the radius of the shank and the radius of one of the heads; and a top lift of resilient plastic construction formed in 4situ on the pin, said top lift covering both Iheads and having a portion extending into and lling the space between the heads.

4. A heel and top lift combination comprising a heel having a heel seat and a top lift receiving bottom Wall, a hole within the heel extending from the bottom wall substantially to the heel seat, a pin having a shank within the hole, the shank extending substantially to the heel `seat and the lower end of the shank projecting below the bottom wall, a rst head projecting laterally from the shank adjacent the lower end thereof, a second head projecting laterally from the shank between the `first head and the bottom wall, the heads having opposed surfaces intersecting the shank at substantially right angles, said heads dening a space there between, and a top lift of resilient material formed in situ on the heads with portions of the top lift lling the space between the heads.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,544,878 Dratler Mar. 13, 1951 2,851,797 Ronci Sept. 16, 1958 2,852,864 Quirk Sept. 23, 1958 2,923,072 Goldstein Feb. 2, 1960 2,935,799 Ronci May 10, 1960 2,935,800 Ronci May 10, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,143,805I France Apr. 15, 1957 805,081 Great Britain Nov. 26, 1958 1,183,854 France Feb. 2, 1960 826,006 Great Britain Dec. 23, 1959 1,224,398 France Feb. 8, 1960 1,227,916 France Mar. 7, 1960 1,234,785 France May 23, 1960 855,807 Great Britain Dec. 7, 1960 

